Testimonies concluded Monday in Solano County Superior Court for the sanity phase of a Vallejo murder trial where the defendant was already found guilty by a jury of voluntary manslaughter.

Vega

Robert J. Vega, 32, was convicted of fatally shooting Augustine “Gus” Vegas, an off-duty Richmond police officer, and the father of his ex-girlfriend.

The gunshot slaying occurred Feb. 11, 2016 in the Vegas family home.

Though found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, the jury acquitted Vega of a second-degree murder charge.

Monday, Dr. Jessica Ferranti, a psychiatrist who treated Vega on Jan. 30, provided similar revelations to what several other experts had testified. Like John Manke, a mental health clinician at Solano County Jail, and psychiatrist, Don Purcell, Ferranti revealed she believed Vega was not legally insane at the time he shot and killed Vegas.

“No signs of mental illness,” said Ferranti recalling her examination of Vega.

Vega’s chronic use of marijuana has been a prominent factor during the sanity phase of the trial, with prosecutor Eric Charm questioning each expert to see if marijuana could have led to Vega hearing voices in the days leading up to the shooting.

Richmond police officer Augustine Vegas. (Richmond Police Department)

Vega reportedly told his ex-girlfriend, Angel Vegas, his neighbors at his Fairfield apartment were talking about him negatively.

Then, on Feb. 10, while at the Vegas residence in GlenCove, Vega allegedly told her he heard her neighbors talking. The day before the shooting, Vega bought bullets for his firearm for protection purposes, court discussions revealed.

Ferranti, however, revealed she couldn’t find delusions that motivated the crime, adding that Vega testified he shot Vegas in self-defense. Pertaining to the connection between Vega’s marijuana habit and its relevance to the crime, Ferranti stated how difficult it is to accurately measure THC in someone’s blood level, and make a connection to impairment.

Vega, an Iraq War veteran who served in the United States Army for six years, was diagnosed with PTSD after his return home. Ferranti testified she didn’t think Vega met the criteria for such a diagnosis, adding that his supposed hallucinations and delusions weren’t of a combat-related theme.

Furthermore, Ferranti said she believed Vega had an “understanding of what it meant to shoot a gun,” but that he didn’t understand the wrongfulness of the action. Ferranti added that Vega did not meet the California sanity statute. If the jury finds that marijuana is what led to Vega experiencing delusions, an insanity defense is wiped out, as it was Vega himself who chose to become intoxicated by the drug.

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